(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a hanger and screen assembly for use with rain gutters. In particular, the present invention pertains to a hanger and screen assembly that is assembled with a conventional rain gutter to protect the gutter from clogging with leaves and/or other debris. The hanger is specifically configured to facilitate the installation of the screen over the top opening of the gutter and the screen is specifically configured to overlap like screens at its opposite ends to provide a continuous screen cover over the gutter opening with no gaps between adjacent screens.
(2) Description of the Related Art
It is a well known practice to place lengths of screen over the top openings of gutters to protect the gutters from becoming clogged with leaves and/or other debris. Various different types of gutters, gutter hangers, and screens have been developed in the prior art for the purpose of preventing leaves and other debris washed off of roof surfaces from collecting inside gutters bordering the roof surfaces, and for the purpose of facilitating the assembly of the gutters, gutter hangers, and screens to the eaves of the roof.
An example of a prior art gutter and gutter hanger is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,760. The gutter hanger disclosed in this patent is typical of prior art hangers. A disadvantage associated with prior art hangers is that, when the gutter and hanger are assembled to the roof eave from the roof, it is difficult for the workman to lean over the edge of the roof to locate the gutter and gutter hanger in their proper positions against the eave and secure the gutter and gutter hangers to the eave. Very often the workman will only reach over the edge of the roof to locate the gutter and gutter hanger against the eave and then attempt to fasten the gutter hanger to the eave with a fastener such as a nail or wood screw without actually being able to see the end of the gutter hanger being attached to the eave. Often this will result in the gutter and gutter hanger being attached to the eave in improper positions relative to each other, and at times this will result in the workman completely missing the gutter hanger with the fastener as the fastener is driven into the eave.
What is needed to overcome this disadvantage of prior art gutters and gutter hangers is an improved gutter hanger with a means of positively locating a fastener such as a nail or wood screw in a hole of the gutter hanger to attach the hanger to the eave without requiring that the workman view the gutter hanger hole to locate the fastener in the hole.
Examples of typical prior art gutter screens are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,209,741 and 4,907,381. Many prior art gutter screens have a forward edge specifically configured to be attached to a forward edge of a particular gutter. These screens are disadvantaged in that they likely are not capable of being used with other gutters not having the specific forward edge configuration for the screen. Moreover, many prior art gutter screens of this type are disadvantaged in that it is difficult to attach the forward edge configuration of the gutter screen to the forward edge of the gutter along the entire length of the screen section.
Many prior art gutter screens are also disadvantaged in that they do not comprise any means of retaining the rearward edge of the screen over the top opening of the gutter. These types of prior art gutter screens have rearward edges that are free to move up away from the top opening of the gutter and often become separated from the gutter after a period of use. Still further, many prior art gutter screens are disadvantaged in that they are designed to be assembled over the top opening of a gutter in an end-to-end relationship. After a period of time, the sections of screen tend to separate from each other forming gaps between adjacent lengths of screen that enable leaves and other debris washed from the roof surface to pass through the gaps and possibly clog the gutter.
What is needed to overcome the above set forth disadvantages of prior art gutter leaf screens is a leaf screen that is specifically designed to be used with a particular gutter hanger, where the forward edge of the leaf screen is configured to be engaged against and retained by a front section of the gutter hanger specifically configured to receive the forward edge of the leaf screen, and the rearward section of the hanger is provided with tabs that project upward and forward from the hanger and engage the rearward edge of the screen to retain the screen rearward edge on the hanger.